A retiring western Kentucky lawmaker is making his last attempt to lift the state's 30-year ban on constructing nuclear power plants. Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Bob Leeper (I-Paducah) attached his perennial bill, which has historically stalled in the House, to a measure to benefit, AK Steel, a company that's widely considered vital to Kentucky's steel, coal, and auto industries. Sen. Brandon Smith (R-Hazard) affirmed the importance of AK Steel, the beneficiary of the original bill, to the beleaguered coal industry. He spoke on March 25, 2014.